Our Blog

18 Aug4 Things You Didn’t Know About Garfield

Garfield has been around a loooong time and it might be a little too difficult to keep track of everything Garfield has been through all these years. Are you a seasoned Garfield expert? Here are 4 bits of trivia you might not have known!

– Just as planned? It seems Jim Davis, creator of Garfield, used his training in business and advertising to bring Garfield into mainstream appeal. He noticed the lack of a loveable cat character in an industry dominated by Snoopy, and thought to fill that void.

– Jim David originally wanted a cartoon series based on his other comic, U.S. Acres, but TV network CBS insisted he focus on Garfield, and use U.S. Acres characters as the supporting cast for the series “Garfield and Friends”. U.S. Acres, known as Orson’s Farm in some countries, had several characters merge into the Garfield universe—characters the likes of Orson Pig, Roy Rooster, Wade Duck, Booker, and Sheldon, to name a few.

– Jim Carrey was sought to take the role of Jon Arbuckle in the 2004 Garfield movie but the actor turned it down. At first glance, Jim might be too zany an actor for the role but he proved he could portray a laid back character as well, as seen in his performance in Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, which also was released on 2004.

– Early concepts for Garfield had Jim Davis intending to use Jon as the main character. But after consulting with agencies and friends, he decided that Garfield was just way more interesting, so the comic’s focus shifted toward Garfield.

Hungry for more Garfield trivia? There’ll be more to come in future posts, so hang tight!